This last year has been a weird one. I keep hearing people say that 2021 will be better, but if you ask me, I think that they may be setting their sights too high. I’m only hoping that 2021 won’t be worse. However, no matter what happens this coming year, good habits are a great way to maintain a sense of control in life, despite the chaos raging outside. While I’m not a big believer in manifesting, making resolutions can’t hurt our chances of having a better year.
In an effort to hold myself accountable and to maybe inspire some of your goal-setting, I’ll be sharing some of my resolutions for 2021. I’ve kept it realistic this year, as past experience and 2020 have taught me that even the bare minimum can sometimes be a tall order.
First on my list for 2021: get more sleep. I feel like I make this resolution every year, and it never really happens. Whether it’s staying up late to finish assignments or closing at work, something always gets in the way of my sweet eight hours. I’ve gotten used to five hour nights, but that’s a nasty habit to have. And then, to compensate, through the break I find myself sleeping for 11 hours every night, probably to make up for my sleep deficit that accumulates throughout the semester. This year I’m going to make more of an effort to get a full night of sleep every night, not just on the weekends.
Another resolution I have for this year is to cook something new each week. This one might sound a bit daunting, but since I’m living at home right now, my family still cooks a lot of my meals, so I don’t spend a lot of time cooking for myself. Being vegetarian in a house full of meat-eaters has helped me gain some of that independence, but I still find myself falling back on the same few meals I know off the top of my head. This year I want to branch out and try a new recipe each week (or as often as is feasible).
My third resolution for the new year is to read more books. I know that might sound ridiculous to say as a student. Why read more when you already spend nearly all your waking hours reading? But reading for pleasure is entirely different, and I’ve been slacking. This past year has been a particularly bad reading year for me. One look at my Goodreads account would make that clear. Reading exclusively Sophie Kinsella hardly qualifies as reading (I won’t diss her too hard, though; she writes great romantic comedies). Unfortunately, during my reading slump, I didn’t stop buying books. I have at least 30 books waiting to be read on my shelf, which is an inconvenient consequence of my shopping habits. 2021 will be the year I make a good dent in that pile.
Setting small personal goals or intentions, no matter what they are, is a good way to enter the new year purposefully. I believe this is something that is especially important given the year that we’ve had and what’s still to come. It’s strange to be making resolutions while the world feels like it’s ending, but as they say, the best growth comes amidst chaos. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.